Showboats’ DeFilippo ready to steer ship as new man in charge in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As the Memphis Showboats get a new start in the United Football League, the team names John DeFilippo as the next skipper in charge.
” Nothing against those past leagues. I’m in favor of however many football jobs that there can be, the more the merrier. But this is the first league, I think you look at it from top to bottom and say this one’s going to work. This is going to work” said DeFilippo.
DeFilippo has coached at every level, in 2017 he was the quarterbacks coach for the Super Bowl LII champs the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last year, as a first-time head coach with New Orleans Breakers’ he led them to a 7-3 record and a post-season appearance, and this spring he’s hoping to bring that success from the Big Easy to the Bluff City.
” If you get into this profession for the right reasons and you enjoy being around people, you enjoy teaching, you enjoy coaching,
you enjoy the thrill of winning, you enjoy the agony and defeat. There’s a piece of you that enjoys having to climb out and get the team ready to go after a tough loss. I feel like I’ve been born with those traits,” said DeFilippo.
As he forms this Showboats roster, he’s pursuing the best athletes available on both sides of the football. However, DeFilippo knows from experience how the Showboats defensive line wreaked havoc on opposing offenses.
” It was hard sled running football. We have some really good big men in our front seven who run fast and hit hard. We’re going to continue to build and we need to make sure we have the right players in place on offense”.
Though the USFL and XFL merged as one, the message is still the same. To prepare these players well enough that they end the season with an invite to an NFL training camp.
” We want everybody in our league to chase their dreams because that’s what that’s what playing football is all about. It’s about chasing your dreams and winning as a team. That’s what we’re providing is that opportunity for these young men to get back”.
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